2017 ARAN CONFERENCE REPORT Australian Refugee Action Network Snap Action & press conference organised by GetUp and supported by ARAN conference delegates in response the announcement of the 1 October Deadline for Asylum Applications May 20 2017 Contents Links to information on this page: Background To The Inaugural ARAN Conference Overview Of The Program Opening session Workshop Sessions: Activism and advocacy; what has worked well? Protest Rallies/ Snap actions/Vigils Creative activism Lobbying & letter writing Developing effective resources to shift public opinion Getting Media coverage for your actions Social media – using Facebook & Twitter How to start a new group / Developing your network Workshop Session: Activism and advocacy – working in and through constituency groups National meeting of RAR groups Faith communities Using the Creative arts for activism Grandmothers/ Mothers Teachers 4 Refugees Doctors 4 Refugees Rainbow Refugee Activists meeting Unionists as activists University Students/Campus Groups Towards a common campaign platform: identifying agreed campaign priorities Panel discussion: approaches to build and strengthen the refugee movement Proposal for national co-ordination: developing ARAN Workshop discussion: positives/benefits to member groups Challenges / Concerns /Questions What ARAN should be What ARAN should not be How should National Committee engage / conduct communication across the network? Conference wrap up: suggestions and ideas from the floor re the way forward together Election of ARAN National Committee Attachments Attachment 1: Initial Publicity Flyer For The Conference – Feb 2017 Attachment 2: Conference Promotion & Program – April 2017 Attachment 3: Conference Program – May 2017 Attachment 4: Groups Represented At The ARAN Conference Attachment 5: Notes From Conference Workshops Attachment 6: Notes From Conference Workshops – Working Through the Constituency Groups Attachment 7: Groups Which Nominated Delegates To Participate In The election Of The ARAN Committee Background to the inaugural ARAN Conference The formation of the Australian Refugee Action Network (ARAN) was proposed in late 2016 to promote greater coordination between the many and different groups in Australia working towards a just policy for refugees and people seeking asylum. The founding members believed that strengthening communication and coordination between ‘grassroots’ groups and organisations would maximize the impact of the many various campaign actions and efforts. By February 2017, the founding members had established a website, and 24 refugee networks and large membership groups had joined the Network. A commitment was made to organize a national conference to bring together activists and advocates from across Australia, and to support the further development of the Network. Notice of the conference was sent to member organisations in February 2017, with further details regarding the program sent in March and April. See conference flyer (Feb 2017) and more detailed conference brochure (April 2017) at Attachments 1 and 2. Aims and Objectives The aims of the ARAN Conference were to: 1. Discuss ways to improve communication and co-ordination between grassroots action and advocacy groups in the refugee sector. 2. Work towards establishing a common campaign platform. 3. Share ideas and experience for mobilizing and effective campaigning. 4. Confirm support for the formalization (and election of) a national ARAN coordination committee. How the Conference was organised The program The two-day program was planned to provide various opportunities for sharing and exchange between those attending the conference. The program on the first day focused on campaign activities and strategies, and on the second day the focus on was on process and considerations for formalising the Network. An informal conference dinner was organised providing the opportunity for reflection and further networking. There was as strong focus on group discussion throughout the conference. Most sessions were introduced by one or more brief presentations, followed by open discussion. The conference program is at Attachment 3. The Conference Committee A conference committee was formed in February 2017 by inviting a number of ARAN member organisations to nominate a person for the committee. Meetings were held by skype fortnightly, and weekly closer to the conference to plan and organise the program, and to track progress on registrations and logistics. The conference committee members were: John Minns Canberra RAC – Canberra Refugee Action Committee Linda Cusworth CRAG – Combined Refugee Action Group (Geelong) Niko Leka HASA Hunter Asylum Seeker Advocacy (Newcastle) Ruth Jacobs Justice for Refugees SA Ian Rintoul RAC Sydney Marie Hapke RAN – Refugee Advocacy Network (Vic) Jan Govett RAR – Rural Australians for Refugees Caron Molster RRAN WA – Refugee Rights Action Network WA Lili Calitz Amnesty’s Tasmanian Refugee Rights Group Sandra Bartlett DASSAN Cassie Magin Australian Refugee Association Inc (SA) Mark Gillespie RAC Queensland. The Canberra Refugee Action Committee took responsibly for registrations and all logistics related to the venue, catering, etc. This was a key contribution and the conference would not have been possible without this local support. Who attended The conference was moderately priced and open to anyone interested in refugee activism and advocacy. See list of groups represented and attendees at Attachments 4 and 5. Nearly 200 people travelled from all states and territories to attend the conference, including a number of people from refugee backgrounds. The Conference Committee sought financial support from a number of organisations to support the attendance of people from refugee backgrounds, and these included Amnesty Australia, Refugee Advocacy Network, Canberra RAC, Warrnambool RAR, Hamilton RAR, Bega RAR, Susan Varga and Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. GetUp, Refugee Council of Australia and the Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project also provided direct support to assist some individuals. Overview of the program The Opening session John Minns, Canberra RAC gave an acknowledgment of country, and welcomed everyone to the conference. John highlighted the unique opportunity presented by the conference as the beginning of a more co-ordinated approach to campaigning across the country, with the aim of building and strengthening the movement, so that the push for change can no longer be resisted. Zaki Haidari, now settled in Canberra Zaki shared his story of arriving here as a young Hazara man seeking asylum. Zaki arrived by boat in 2012, having spent 5 days on a boat which had broken down. While held in the Christmas Island Detention Centre, he was threatened with the prospect of being sent to Nauru or Manus Island – others with whom he was detained were sent to the offshore camps. Zaki was sent to a detention centre in Tasmania, where people visited and gave a sense of hope. He was later released from detention, and as an 18 year old was living in Sydney with no work or study rights. Although no longer in detention, having nothing to do, and staying home all day was debilitating. Zaki now has a SHEV (visa) and is living and studying in Canberra, and is a member of the Canberra Refugee Action Committee. He described detention as ‘a jail’, and said “I had no idea that I would not be welcome here”. Zaki thanked all activists and advocates on behalf of all refugees and people seeking asylum who are still detained or in limbo as a result of the current policies. Behrouz Boochani, detainee, spoke on video from Manus Island (a pre-recorded message) highlighting the importance of a concerted and more coordinated campaign, and the encouraging us all to do everything we can to bring about the necessary changes in government policy. Pamela Curr, long-time activist, advocate and former campaign co-ordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne reflected on some of the strengths of the movements and some key moments in the refugee movement since 1999. This year is 25 years since the introduction of mandatory detention, and despite High court challenges, people are still being held in detention – many for long periods of time – on shore and offshore. In 1999 the Woomera camp was set up, where people were held ‘incognito’ in barbarous’ conditions, in tents in the desert. When people were released from these camps they would be bused to Adelaide or Melbourne, and essentially left with no means of support. This prompted ordinary people into action, and so began the extensive networks of community support. There were a number of protests organised at Woomera and Baxter detention centres, with large number of people and level of media coverage, particular around the Woomera breakout in 2002. This brought the detention centres into the public consciousness, and rapidly built the refugee movement. The Tampa affair in late 2001 was a pivotal moment which spawned the Pacific solution as the Nauru camp was hastily organised to prevent the people rescued by the Tampa from being brought to Australia. Over the years there have been so many human rights reports, all damning of the policies of detention and deterrence. Advocates and activists have done so much work to agitate for change, and we still have a fight on our hands. The movement has brought many different kinds of people together, of all backgrounds and ages – all dedicated to making change happen. This diversity is our strength, and also our challenge – to support each other work